


Aftermath

by orphan_account, RougemageNick



Series: Just a RWBY OS full of OCs... [11]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1864530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougemageNick/pseuds/RougemageNick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their encounter in the Forever Fall, the JNAS team faces new truths, both about themselves, and about the new problem they face....Where will things go for them from here?....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> ATTENTION. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SEE THE ARTWORK, UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE REQUEST OF OUR ARTIST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR THE TIME BEING. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF/WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO REPOST THE ART. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

The Aftermath:

When they returned to Beacon, Nick carried Jay in to have an antidote administered to his poison. It took him an hour to get over the effects, during which time he fell back and forth between being held to the bed, twitching as the poison made it's way from his system, and utter silence. Sasha was placed on one of them beds, simply needing to sleep. When Nick asked about his arm, he was given a dust canister to place in one of the chambers in his arm. This dust canister would help flush out the toxin from his prosthetic arm, and he'd be able to use it in less than an hour. Nick helped to hold Jay in place, and at about half an hour, his arm was at least moving, and he provided more help than he was able to before. By the time Jay woke up, clear of the poison, Nick's arm was completely recovered. The nurse said they'd like to have him return in the morning, so they could test him to know the poison had left his system completely. Anna had been sitting by Sasha, not moving. Just watching. She couldn't help but feel like she'd caused this. She was distracted in battle....Had she not turned when Sasha fell, she could've ended the fight with the woman, and Sasha would have been able to seek help earlier. Even though she was told that Sasha would be fine, she still felt bad for not being able to help her friend. Jay was up and moving quick though, and Nick went over to Sasha's bedside. He tapped Anna on the shoulder. She barely looked up at him. She stood and walked towards the door, where Jay stood waiting. Nick sat down where she had been sitting, and placed his hands on his knees, and sat waiting. When Anna walked over to Jay, he motioned to the door with his head. They left in silence, both sure Nick would watch Sasha carefully. Anna and Jay walked out into the hall, where Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch were waiting for them. They walked down to a small box of a room, with nothing but a table, two chairs, and a light fixture.

"Who would like to go first?" Ozpin asked as they entered the room.

"That would be me...." Jay spoke up quickly, hoping to spare Anna this annoyance of a formality.

"Very well then. Step in." he motioned through the door. Ms. Goodwitch grabbed his shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at him before he entered. Jay sighed and undid the clip on the belt that held his tonfas. He pulled it off and handed it to Ms. Goodwitch, before entering the room. He walked in and sat down in the chair, as Ozpin turned on the light. Ms. Goodwitch took Anna to the small side room, where there were two more chairs.

Ozpin sat opposite him, and they stared at eachother for a few moments before Jay spoke up, "You gonna ask me what happened, or am I in here to sit and wait for the janitor?...." Jay asked, a little impatient.

"Were you going to tell me what happened then?" Ozpin said, hoping to start things going. Jay leaned forward.

"You've got some pests in your neck of the woods....." Jay said sarcastically. Ozpin saw his left eye had turned red.

"Are you going to control that, or are we going to move on to your teammate...." Ozpin pushed. Jay's eyes narrowed for a minute. He closed his left eye and sat for a moment, glancing around and muttering to himself about his environment. Since there was just a room, there wasn't much to say, even to himself, but after a few moments, he opened his left eye, which turned gold, with only flecks of red before fading back to hazel.

He sighed again, "Ok.....What happened was.....I saw a bug. And before you say it, no....Not a bug like that. I mean, a mechanical bug. Did you guys get an upgrade on yours?" Jay asked.  Ozpin shook his head, "Then you've got a problem. This bug wasn't a Beacon model bug. This was.....Different. Something else was watching us students. And I think we may have met the observers." Ozpin leaned forward, listening intently now, sipping his cup of coffee. "Before I go on, could you have someone, anyone, bring in a rootbeer float? I haven't eaten all day, and I'm hungry after having poison purged from my system......" Jay leaned back and crossed his arms, displaying his adamant position. "And while you're at it, why don't you ask Anna what she'll be wanting." he added. Ozpin sighed and pulled out his scroll. After a moment of typing, there was silence for a few seconds. Then a man in a Beacon official suit came in, and placed a large cup with the rootbeer float on the table in front of him. Jay smiled, satisfied.

"Now..... If you'll continue...." Ozpin insisted.

"Ok then. After trying to chase the bug down, we were confronted by a man and a woman. The guy was big. Really big. Gray-ish hair, jeans. And he carried a large cylinder filled with poisonous needles. Apparently his Semblance was Immunity. As I understand it, his name was Leif." Ozpin nodded, as he pulled out his scroll. "The woman was blonde....Long blonde hair in a ponytail. Black shirt with blue designs. Bell-bottomed white pants, really bitchy. Her name was apparently.....I think it was Iskelle. She specialized in various uses of ice dust in combat...." Ozpin considered this a moment. Jay waited, as Ozpin glanced back and forth between him and his scroll. Ozpin then raised his scroll up, and showed him two pictures. They clearly depicted Leif and Iskelle together. They looked happy, and younger, but it was clearly them.

"Leif Malladus, and Iskelle Femmaren?...." Jay read the caption. He looked up at Ozpin, "So who are they?..." Jay asked. Ozpin looked reluctant. Jay frowned, "That guy poisoned me.....Nick showed me footage of me under that poison. I looked drunk. And do you know the pain that stuff caused?....Not to mention that blonde one bitch-slapping my teammate, which she  **will** pay for, and calling her a whore. Don't hide this from me, Headmaster. I'm a team-leader. This is information I need. Information my team needs." Jay finished strongly, knowing he'd get the information he wanted. Ozpin looked at him a minute, taking in his words.

"Leif and Iskelle once attended this academy. They were star students. Rumor had it they were together, set to marry, even. But they vanished suddenly, just before graduation. No one's heard from them, or seen them. Where they went or what had taken them was unclear. There was no trace, and we've never found a trail that could point us towards them. Until now....." Ozpin finished.

Jay frowned, "So what you're saying is that me and my team currently have more information about them then Beacon?....." Jay smiled smugly and shook his head, "So  **that's** the point of this invasive little exercise....." Jay muttered. He shook his head and laughed. "Alright then. Here's what I remember...." Jay launched into a lengthy and detailed explanation about the events of the encounter. Anna, who sat listening with Ms. Goodwitch, was shocked at the extent of his memory. But he could only describe Leif's style of combat, which he did with great detail. "Although....I can't really say much for Iskelle. I didn't participate in the fight with her. Your best bet would be to ask Anna or Sasha. But....." Jay stopped.

Ozpin raised his eyebrow, "But?......" Jay cleared his throat.

"As team leader, I must advise against this course of action. My teammates and I have been through an ordeal, and I would humbly suggest waiting at least forty-eight hours before speaking with Sasha, or Anna." Jay finished, not flinching. Anna was slightly surprised. Why would he suggest not talking to her?...She could give them quite a detailed description herself, but of Iskelle. After hearing that she used specialized Ice dust in combat, she had begun to fill in the gaps about what happened during their battle. Ozpin thought....He didn't look convinced, but nevertheless, Jay didn't flinch.

"......Alright. I will take this suggestion into consideration. For now, you and Ms. Aristole may return to your dorm. Jay rose, taking the cup with the remainder of his rootbeer float, and left the room. Ms. Goodwitch came out of the room with Anna, who looked at Jay. He only looked at her for a second, before walking away towards the dorm. Anna turned to Ozpin, who was walking out of the room behind Jay, and bowed slightly before turning and catching up to Jay. 

* * *

  

Sasha stirred in her sleep. Slowly at first, not wanting to be awake. Her whole body ached, and her heart was beating heavy in her chest, making her head hurt. Her eyes opened slightly, but were too foggy to see anything. She smacked her lips, and tried to lick them, but her mouth was too dry. She squinted against the light, that was more prominent now that her eyes were slightly more open. She reached for the counter, where there should have been a large bottle of water waiting for her. She hoped it wasn't warm, but at this point, she didn't hold her breath about it. But her hand waved over the counter a couple of times, finding no bottle. Suddenly, when waving her hand again, she found the bottle. The bottle was ice cold. She reached around to hold the bottle, but her fingers encountered metal....Cold metal. She let go, and rubbed her eyes till she could see, and looked over. Nick sat there, holding the bottle out for her to grab. He held it in his left arm, which explained how it was cold. He was using his Ice Dust cartridge. She reached out again and wrapped her fingers around the bottle. She pulled the top from it and threw her head back, drinking the entire bottle in less then a minute. She gasped for breath when she finished, and looked back over at Nick, who was still sitting there. His eyes looked dark from fatigue, and he sat with his forearms on his knees. Sasha thought about this, 'How long has he been sitting there? Has he slept? Doesn't look like it....Dumbass....Why did he stay here. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he was tired.' But she still couldn't help but think it was sweet. Then it all came crashing back her, in a sudden rush. She remembered the forest, and the woman, and the fog......But there was something else. She thought she could remember an explosion.....But when did that happen? Did it happen? She didn't dream that did she?....No....No it was definitely a memory......The woman....had been standing over her, with the little blue ball. But there was a black streak, and suddenly an explosion......What happened...Then she remembered Nick sitting there.

"Oh, uh....Thanks for the water...." she muttered, not sure what to say.

"No problem." Nick responded simply.

Sasha decided to break up the silence before it became to unbearable, "So what happened....After I passed out, that is.....How'd we.......Ya know, not die."

Nick considered a moment, sitting in silence, not moving, "The woman, who we found out was named Iskelle.....She was going to kill you. When you went down, it distracted Anna, who got thrown back. Then that....Iskelle, was going to kill you.....So I stopped her." Nick said, not giving away the details.

Sasha frowned a little. It was the details that she wanted, "How? What happened? Play by play, cap, I was down, remember?"

Nick smiled a little and sat up straight.

"I uh....I threw my sword. I barely missed though....She dropped the little blue orb, which began sprouting death-sicles.....Which, had it hit you, would've sprouted them right through your body.....So I pulled out my fire canister, and....Destroyed the death-sicle....." Nick shuddered a little, remembering the explosion that took his arm. He knew it wasn't that powerful an explosion, but still.....It made him feel the same.

"And this explosion killed them?..." Sasha asked, trying to determine the details of the escape.

"No. Jay was over fighting Leif-"

"Leif?" Sasha interrupted.

"Yeah....Guy with the poison needles. Jay was keeping him busy while I threw my lightning canister.....Huge bolt of lightning, right through the treetops.....That Leif guys came over to her, told them they had to get the fuck outta Dodge.....And they left."

Sasha gritted her teeth in anger, "So they got away...."

Nick put his hand on her arm, "We'll go after them.....I'm pretty sure Jay's already workin' his verbal magic with Ozpin to get us a chance to go after them again....This time on our terms..... And leave it to Jay to make it good. I'm sure we'll pay em back. I'm gonna make sure you get your payback, in full." Nick spoke without wavering. Sasha looked down at his hand, still on her arm....She thought she felt her face heating up, but couldn't be sure, his metal arm was really cold....

After a moment, Nick realized he was still holding her, and his eyes widened as he took his hand away, "I'm sorry....I should've remembered my arm was still cold....That was my mistake....Anyway....You're looking like you're up now...If you'd like me to get goin'...."

Nick almost moved to stand, but Sasha stopped him, "Uh, wait.....You don't...You don't have to go yet....I mean, if it's not any trouble, I could do with the company....."

Nick sat back down, "I'd be glad to stay." This time, Sasha could feel her face heat up with the blood flow.

He sat back down, and looked u at her, "I'm glad you're safe.....Would've been hell to pay if my teammate was injured.....I'm pretty sure I could find a tank  **somewhere** to hunt those two down with...."

Sasha raised an eyebrow, "A tank?.....Interesting choice....Thanks, but I'm capable of getting them back on my own...." Sasha assured.

Nick frowned, "Maybe, but that's not the point....I'm....I'm a team captain. And I say you can't just go after those two alone. Those two tore our formations apart."

"Look, I appreciate that in your own kinda stupid way, you're caring for my safety....But that fight wasn't fair. We were surprised. We were basically cut off from the herd like animals and ambushed....On my terms, I bet I could take them both."

 Sasha tried to keep her voice steady, but even she wasn't quite sure of that, and apparently, Nick knew it, "No you can't. You may be strong, but you shouldn't try to do things on your own like that....Did that thinking help when you and Jay nearly tore eachother apart? Did that work back in the forest, when you collapsed to exhaustion? No.....I'm your team-leader.....I'm responsible for safety of my team. I wasn't able to stop you from getting a busted jaw, so I'll have to take care in the future. Jay's also a team leader, so he doesn't warrant my looking after." Sasha's eyes widened. She thought to herself, 'Why is he so interested in my safety?....' Sasha brushed her hair over her ear. It had been let out of it's ponytail, when she was taken back to the school.

"Nick.....Did.....Did you leave Jay to handle that poison guy on his own.....To help.......To save me?....." Nick paused a moment, considering the question. His eyes widened and his face turned red. He stuttered for a few seconds, which just confirmed it to Sasha.

She gasped slightly, "Uh....Nick.....You shouldn't have done that.....That was a really stupid move......You should've finished the fight with that.....Leif, was it.....He was the one who could cut off our Semblances.....That ice bitch wouldn't have been a problem with you Anna and Jay....."

Nick leaned over, putting his palms on the edge of the bed, "That's not the point. I don't.........." Nick stopped. Sasha wondered what he was going to say. She had a hunch, but wasn't sure, and wanted to hear it from him.

"What.....You don't what?" she pushed.

Nick stood, and turned, trying to avoid her eyes, "I don't....Well...I mean I didn't.....I didn't want to win if it meant your death.......That just ain't worth it." he said. Sasha was shocked. She didn't know what to think. It wasn't something she saw coming. Nick stood silently, waiting for her to say something, hoping he hadn't freaked her out. Sasha muttered, still not sure how to react....It wasn't something anyone had ever thought of her, save her mother.

"No one's......No one's ever.....Been that concerned for my safety......I've always been strong....Reliant on my strength. I've not really needed anyone's help-"

Nick interrupted her as she spoke, "That's not how it works anymore. That's not how this goes. You're going to be a Huntress....You're entering....A whole new league. That's the whole point of this team thing. You can't do it alone. We're here to help support you."

Sasha spoke up again, "Why don't you say what you're meaning.....You wanted to say that  **you're**  here to support me, right?" Nick's eyes widened, and he continued stuttering for a moment, again confirming it to her. Again she didn't know what to say. Nick closed his eyes and yelled curses in his head, knowing that he was clearly not hiding his thoughts well....How did Jay do it, he thought. He tried to put on a good poker face, but it didn't work through the heat in his face. Sasha pulled the blanket off of her legs and tried to stand, but appeared unsteady.

Nick grabbed her hand and shoulder, "No, stop....The nurse said you need rest. So just.....Rest. I can stay here until you're up." Nick offered. Sasha smiled as she lay back down, and pulled the blanket back over herself. Sasha's thoughts were running back and forth between flustered and thankful. Nick sat back down.

Sasha glanced at him, "You're really just going to sit there?...... You're......You're actually......You actually care that much about what happens to me?"

Nick nodded, "To be honest, I've kinda had my eye on you from day one......That sounds so freaky.....But I don't mean it like that.....I mean that you're.......You really caught my eye. And since we became teammates......It's just gotten harder to ignore."

Sasha couldn't hide the red in her face, "Well, um.....I've always thought you were kind of awesome.....Especially the arm......I know not many people think that, but I find it hard to think of it as anything else...." Sasha reached out and grabbed his metal hand. Nick's metal arm had always been sensitive to stimulus, having a very low Absolute Threshold. But something about this was different than normal...Even in his metal prosthetic, he felt warmth in her hand. It wasn't anything like what he'd felt before. He looked down at her. Suddenly her grip tightened, and she yanked him in. With her free hand, she grabbed him by the shirt collar, and pulled his face right over to hers. Nick looked wide-eyed, and slightly scared. "I care for you too, ok!!" she shouted through her bright red cheeks, then yanked him closer still and held him in a kiss. The two kept close like this for a few seconds, Nick not caring to move away, and Sasha not letting him anyway. When she let go of him, neither of their faces were red anymore. Instead, Nick was filled with a happiness, that felt like gratitude.....A happiness for realizing that his feelings were reciprocated. And Sasha, just filled with the feeling that this wasn't bad. In fact, that felt quite fitting to her...She'd always liked Nick better anyway. Nick sat back. Neither of them spoke. Instead, Nick leaned forward and put his head on the bed next to her, content to sleep. Sasha also felt content, and laid a hand on his black hair. She smiled slightly as she fell asleep along with Nick.

* * *

 

Anna closed the door behind herself as she and Jay entered their dorm. Jay removed his hands from his coat pockets and sat down on his bed, crossing his fingers in front of his face, and sat in silent consideration. Anna went and sat on Sasha's bed, across from him. He didn't speak, and the silence went on for two minutes before another sound was heard.

Anna cleared her throat, "So.....Why did you stop Ozpin from speaking with me? If you don't mind me asking...."

Jay looked up at her, "I'd rather have avoided putting you under that stress. And besides....We've given him good information, and that's what he wanted. And now, we still have information to give. Which, played correctly, will get us our choice of ally teams, and a big say in an operation that would give us the chance to go after Malladus and Femmaren. They were foolish....They should've killed us when they had the chance. But they failed, and now they'll pay the consequences. We're going to go after them. We'll fight them on my terms, and we'll crush them. They'll see just what a mistake they made in failing to bring us down." Anna was slightly worried by his tone.

He sounded like he wasn't himself, "So why couldn't we just persuade Ozpin to let us do that back there? What's the point in waiting?" she asked, still not quite understanding what Jay was planning.

Jay again looked up and shook his head, "No....Ozpin will need time, just like we will. He'll have to sort out his plans, and analyze the information he  **does** have. That gives us time as well....Time to train up a bit, and basically get our pick of the litter to work with. I'll need to be as careful as Ozpin with my own planning....That way we'll have the full advantage when we face Leif and Iskelle again....Like I say, knowledge makes an advantage. And we have the knowledge right now. When the time comes that we've trained and picked our ally's, we'll give Ozpin the rest of our information. We'll have the best chance of taking them on. Get it?" Jay was speaking as a leader now. The leader that moved with his head, seeing everything he could.

"So......We're basically holding out on Ozpin till we're good enough to go a second round, then using our information as leverage?" Anna asked.

"That's exactly what we're doing. Now we should go tell Nick and Sasha what we're doing."

he stood and moved towards the door, "Uh.....Jay?" she muttered.

Jay stopped and turned, "What." he didn't sound like he was too happy to take questions.

"Are you sure we should go after them? Maybe we should just give our information to Ozpin and let them handle it....They're far more equipped to-"

Jay interrupted her, "No. I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We're going after them. I'm not going to let them get away with what they did. And besides, I want to pay them back personally. I'm not going to leave that to the teachers. It's our fight now. I'll make sure of that." he turned and walked from the room, leaving no room for debate. Anna followed him out the door, and walked behind him in the hall. There wasn't anything but the silence as they walked. She didn't exactly feel right about this plan. What if Jay was wrong? What if someone got hurt because of it? There was no way Jay could plan for everything. She stopped walking, and stood considering. Jay kept walking for a few steps until he realized Anna wasn't walking behind him. He turned and looked at her, "What is it?" he asked.

Anna considered her words carefully. Jay was practically a genius, and she didn't want to sound stupid.

"Jay.....I'm.......I'm not sure I can put complete faith in your abilities as a leader...." she spoke quickly, just wanting to get it over with. Jay turned completely and walked over to face her. Anna didn't like this...It felt like she was being stared down by a parental figure.....Or a wild animal. She felt small as he stood in front of her. He was taller than her, and that didn't help. He didn't speak for a few seconds, which felt more like minutes....Or hours...She couldn't tell, her heartbeat was blocking out the sound of any clock nearby.

"Let me guess.....I lead to much with thinking.....I over think, in fact....It seems that logic is the only thing I understand, right?"

Anna shook her head, "That's not it....Even you can't make a perfect plan...If someone got hurt because of a mistake-"

"I won't make a mistake. I know what I'm doing. Ozpin wouldn't have made me a leader if he didn't think I did." Jay spoke through her.

"And if you didn't? Think about it Jay." she looked up at him now, regaining confidence, she stepped up to him, to tell it to his face "They thought they had a perfect plan to. They thought they'd be able to take us out like a candle. They had us right from the beginning, taking out our semblances....They had every advantage, and failed. If you did the same, we'd pay for that mistake....You can't just.....You're not perfect, Jay. And as a leader, you can't look at this as just  **your** responsibility. So why don't you do the smart thing, and take the advise of your teammates, so we can do this right....." Anna was breathing a little heavier as she finished. Jay's eyes had widened, and he looked down at her, slightly taken aback. He thought how it must have felt for Anna, when he walked up on her like that....Like a dog trapping a cat. But he should've known, any animal is most dangerous when cornered.....And she was right. This wasn't something he could plan for alone. Leif and Iskelle had failed because they couldn't think of everything, mostly their desire to fight and live through the fight. And if Jay did this, he'd be leading his team into a slaughter.....She was completely right about this...But he didn't want to admit that. He felt slightly sheepish, having not been thinking about how foolish he sounded....He turned away from her, hoping not to let her see this reflected in his face, which had broken it's usual calm, turning red. He was embarrassed that he had basically been put in his place by his teammate.

He cleared his throat, "Ok then. I suppose as a leader, it's a part of my job to listen to my teammates. And since it's obvious you feel so......Strongly....About this, then I believe it's worth considering. I shall remember what you've said.....Sorry I was acting like that. It was foolish of me. Let's go. We should tell.......Um......I mean, we should probably see what Nick and Sasha think of this plan..." Jay continued walking, slipping his hands into his coat pockets. Anna held her hands behind her back, and moved to catch up. She didn't walk beside him, instead staying a step back, hiding her triumphant smile. Her heart was beating, but in a good way. She was quite happy to have won a battle of words with someone like Jay. They didn't speak again as they walked to the nurse's office. 

* * *

 

Jay and Anna stood looking over the scene. Jay's eyebrows were raised, and his mouth hung open. Anna just looked on with a smile, taking in the adorable moment. Nick's head was resting on the bed next to Sasha, who had curled up slightly around him, and had her hand on his head. Jay had a thought, and smiled a mischievous grin. He turned to Anna, and tapped her shoulder. She snapped out of her satisfaction at the moment, and turned to him. He leaned in and began whispering into her ear. Anna's cat ears twitched as she listened, and her eyes widened a little. She looked over at him, using facial expressions to ask if that was really ok. Jay nodded and gave a thumbs, still with that questionable smile. She went over to one of the beds and gathered a sheet. Jay pulled his scroll out and took a couple of pictures. Anna went over, and being as quiet and gentle as possible, she wrapped the sheet around Nick's waist, making it look like he was wearing a long dress skirt. Anna walked back over to Jay, who was giggling furiously, trying to hold back full laughter. He took another couple of pictures for the moment, as pay-back for filming him under that poison. He looked satisfied over at Anna, and mouthed 'Thanks.' Then he walked over to Sasha's bed, and yanked hard, pulling the blanket off of her. She gasped and started, sitting upright. At her quick motion, Nick also woke up and sat up. Jay began laughing, and Anna realized the joke he was making. After a minute, they became aware of Jay and Anna.

Nick looked down at the sheet wrapped around him, "What the fuck....." he muttered.

Through his laughing, Jay spoke up, motioning to Sasha, who still wore her combat outfit, "I guess we know which of you two wears the pants between the two of you!!" Jay continued laughing furiously. Anna put her hand over her mouth, holding back her own giggling. Nick and Sasha both realized what he meant. Nick rolled his eyes, and tore the sheet off of himself. He didn't care about Jay's stupid little joke, but apparently Sasha did. Her face turned bright red, and she looked a little angry. She threw her legs off the bed and reached over for her claymore. She stood, lifting her blade and pointing it at him. Jay smiled slightly, already foreseeing what happened next. Her legs crumbled out from under her, and she fell over. The blade clattered to the ground, and Anna gasped. Jay shook his head, holding his forehead. Nick stood and went to help her up. Jay sighed, "Don't just jump up after sleeping off a heart problem. It doesn't end end well." She stood, with Nick's help, stretching her legs. When she could stand, she reached down and picked up her blade, putting it into the sheath on her back. The sheath had a long open slit down the side so the blade could slip into the sheath without difficulty

. Anna cleared her throat, still smiling at the scene, "So.......What happened here then?" Sasha and Nick shared a look.

"Well.....Um.......Nick was.......He just......" Sasha stuttered for a few moments.

"I was.....I worried about her safety and....." Nick also wasn't sure how to explain. Jay and Anna also shared a look.

Upon seeing this, Sasha sighed, "Ok, listen up. No one's ever cared about me like Nick here does. He's already showed it, and I after hearing it....I don't know.....I just kinda......Felt the same. He's kind to me, and it makes me feel better then I've felt in years. So yes," she grabbed Nick's arm and pulled him over to her, and he just simply let her, "This here.....Is my boyfriend. If you've got a problem with that, tell that to Loachsamhail. And now, because shut-the-fuck-up-Jay," she pulled Nick over and kissed him. After they separated, Sasha turned back, "So there." Jay and Anna both stared for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Then Anna made a high pitched squealing noise, and began clapping while bouncing up and down. Jay just continued standing there, not saying anything or flinching.

After a moment, Anna walked forward and gave Sasha a hug, which looked glad to accept, "I'm so happy for you!!" Anna said. Sasha was glad that she had her new friend's support.

Nick looked over at Jay, "And you?" he said, clearly in reference to Jay.

"I don't care. It's your choice....I have absolutely nothing to do with it." Jay responded, putting his hands up slightly defensively. Nick rolled his eyes again, and Sasha didn't care. But then Jay remembered why he had walked in their to begin with. His face became serious. "Ladies, let's get back to the dorm......We've got some important things to discuss." all of the team looked over at Jay. They all glanced at eachother before walking back to the dorm in silence. Sasha held onto to Nick's prosthetic arm on the way though, her fingers woven with his....

When they got back to the dorm, Jay began a speech about his plans. Hearing it, you'd think it was prepared ahead of time, but Jay didn't ever have to prepare any speech. He told them that his plan was simply to convince Ozpin to get them in on a mission to find and bring down Leif Malladus and Iskelle Femmaren. But Jay also said that he believed it best that they select an ally team. He then went on to say that upon consult from a friend, he thought it would be best to ask the team about this plan. Sasha looked over at Anna, who was looking away, with a satisfied smile on her face. Sasha quickly understood who this friend was, and tapped Nick's arm. He turned to her and she whispered in his ear for a minute. Jay stopped talking and stared at them as she spoke silently to them. Anna was straining to hear them, but Sasha was just barely making any noise at all. Nick's eyes widened and he looked up at Anna, then at Jay and smiled as well.

Jay didn't look amused, "Why do you mutter? Something you want to share with the whole class?" he gestured dramatically around the room, then looked at the two of them, still sitting there with their hands together.

Nick cleared his throat and shook his head, "No....No, please, continue, oh great and mighty Vulcan....." Nick said sarcastically.

Jay rolled his eyes, "I think I may have a team in mind for us to work with. We'll see them tomorrow, when we begin one-on-one combat classes. I'll speak with Ozpin and Goodwitch so that we can meet with the team I have in mind."

"And why would Ozpin let us randomly pick a team and start getting all close with?" Sasha asked, still not sure about this plan.

"Because.....Because we still have information. I told Ozpin about Leif and his skills and such. Anna has comprehensive knowledge about Iskelle.....And Ozpin only knows what we tell him."

"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked, confused.

"I mean that Leif and Iskelle vanished several years ago. There has literally been absolutely no word on them since. None. Not even a whisper. The only thing that Ozpin knows......Is what we know." he looked at Nick and tapped his own nose, "Information makes an advantage....And we have the information." Jay smiled smugly.

Nick's face was slightly shocked, "Hold up......Are you telling me that we're withholding information from the Headmaster.....In order to get him to do what we want him to?! Are you insane?! We're not in command here. I want to get them back too, but think about what you're doing here!!" Nick said, standing to face Jay. Jay glanced at Anna, who gave him a look. Sasha noted this, but quickly turned her attention back to this discussion.

"Nick, you're misunderstanding. Right now, we have the greatest advantage against them. Not only do we have knowledge about them, but we have something else.....Something much more effective...." Jay spoke with confidence.

"Care to clue us in?" Nick said, waving his arms for a minute, a little annoyed.

"Experience......Even if it's not much. It's something. We're stronger than they thought we were....If we fought them again....With our advantage. With our ally's. We can win.....And if you think we can't, say it now....." Jay looked around the room. No one spoke up. "Well?.....Do any of you think that if we tried......If we....Put our heads together....Do any of you think we couldn't win?" Jay spoke with a passion that made them sure of his words. That was one of Jay's talents though, and anyone he'd ever spoken to knew it. Jay glanced at them, one after another. Sasha looked over at Anna, and the silence dragged on for a few seconds.... "That's what I thought." Jay said, interrupting the quiet. Jay sighed though, and looked at Nick, who was still standing up, "How 'bout this......Anna and I will go tell Ozpin all of our remaining information right now....Ozpin's a reasonable man. I'm sure he would let us do this if I talk to him, and get him to see why it's a good idea. We won't hold out information on him, and we'll get our chance to go show them what a mistake they made, challenging us, and not finishing the job." Jay raised his eyebrow in silent questioning to Nick. Nick looked at him for a few moments. He still wasn't completely sure about it, but this was actually a very good compromise. He turned back and looked at Sasha. She appeared to be deep in thought. After a few more seconds of silence, she looked over at Nick and nodded. He looked at Anna, who immediately nodded as well. He turned back to Jay.

"Ok then. You and Anna go talk to Ozpin.....If he agrees, that means that we'll be training with this team you've picked tomorrow....." Nick looked a touch reluctant to agree, but the census was clear. Jay smiled and looked over at Anna, who stood and followed him from the room. Nick sat down next to Sasha, and looked at her, "Were you thinking what I thought?" Nick asked. Both of them knew what he was asking about, and Sasha nodded slightly.

"Ooooh yeah. I thought it....."

* * *

 

Jay and Anna wasted no time in finding the Headmaster and sitting him down to tell him all of their remaining information. Anna held nothing back, explaining everything she could about Iskelle. Ozpin said nothing, simply nodding and sipping his coffee every now and again. Anna sighed when she was finished, and Jay, who had been sitting next to her this time, attempted to speak up, but Ozpin stopped him. He said he knew what Jay was going to say, and that the answer was yes.

"But you cannot take on this mission alone. For this, you must-"

"I know, sir...We must have an ally team. I already have one in mind....." Jay interrupted, bringing his thoughts to the table. Ozpin raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. "I've been observing the teams, you see. I normally do that to pass time. As stated in the handbook, we're allowed to sit in on other student's training sessions...I did it to pass time during my suspension, Sasha would join me once or twice, but that's irrelevant. The point is, I saw quite a few teams that would be suitable allies. I had my eye on one team in particular..." Jay said.

Ozpin waved his hand, "And which team would that be?" Ozpin asked.

"Team SCRT." Jay said, pronouncing the anagram as Secret. Ozpin raised his eyebrow. "I believe it would be best to train with them for this mission. They were one of the groups that we were set up with went we went into the Forever Fall and fought them....After careful observation, I've come to the conclusion that we'd work well together. What do you think?" Jay finished, hoping to get a positive answer from Ozpin.

After several agonizing minutes of consideration, Ozpin looked at Jay, "Very well then. I shall arrange some time for your teams to be introduced properly, so that you can explain the situation to them."

Jay smiled, "Perfect. Thank you, Headmaster. You won't regret this."

"I hope not," he responded. Jay and Anna stood and left the room. As they walked back to the dorm, Jay glanced over at Anna out of the corner of his eye, careful not to make any movement she'd notice.

He cleared his throat, "Impressive....That recollection back there....You've got a good eye....." Jay muttered.

Anna looked around, a little surprised, "Hm? Oh, me? Uh, thanks.....I uh.....I was top of my class at Signal......I should at least have some ability in battle, right?.....I kinda wish I'd done better though.....Back there in the forest.....I wish I'd.....Been stronger." Anna spoke a little out of it, as though she was considering something far off, or lost in a thought....

"Perhaps you could have been stronger, yes.....But to admit, I could've used some improving upon, myself...We all could have. There's no point dwelling on it now though. We simply have to move forward. Ok?" Jay didn't look at her as he spoke, content to keep moving at his normal pace.

"Are you......Trying to comfort me?" Anna asked, slightly surprised at the idea.

"I believe that's what you would call it.....I'm a team leader.....It's a part of my job. Moral and such....I can't have you limiting your own power because of the past. You have to look ahead, and expand your abilities to the coming battles." Jay spoke with a steady voice. Anna considered this as they reached the dorm. Jay opened the door and entered, launching almost immediately into an explanation of what had occurred. Anna followed him in and sat down where she sat before. Jay told them about the team he had selected, explaining that they would be meeting their allies tomorrow after breakfast, in one of the conference rooms, where they would formally greet eachother and discuss the situation. After this, Jay said that he advised they went to sleep immediately so that they were well rested for tomorrow. It was clear to all of them he was eager for tomorrow. They went about, slowly readying themselves for bed. By the time everyone had gotten to bed, it was still only 7:00 pm. Sasha muttered to Nick about Jay's excess enthusiasm. Nick responded by saying he was showing a bit too much emotional response for a Vulcan.... Jay didn't care. He only wanted to begin the training, and he fell asleep quickly. The rest of them fell asleep as they always did though.

The next morning Nick was woken by the small zap from his prosthetic arm, as always. At least today the setting got the time right. He sat up on his hammock, his head brushing the ceiling. He looked down into the room, and his jaw dropped. Jay was already up, dressed, and showered, and had taken to pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. Nick was shocked, and tried to rub his eyes, thinking it was an illusion. But sure enough, Jay still walked this way and that impatiently. He stopped when he noticed Nick sitting up and staring at him.

"Well come on then, let's go let's go let's go.....Up and at'em....." he whispered at Nick hurriedly. Nick thought that was odd. If he was in so much of a rush, why whisper so as to not disturb the girls? But it didn't matter to him. He climbed down from the hammock as silently as possible and gathered his things to go shower. By the time he returned, both Anna and Sasha had woken, and Jay was laying back on his bed, headphones over his ears. He was listening to something with a high tempo, because Nick noticed his foot moving back and forth at a quick rate.The girls left quickly to go shower, and Nick sat down on Sasha's bed. He looked over at Jay, and tried to call him. But the music was apparently very loud, because he couldn't hear Nick over it. Nick frowned, reached over and grabbed the pillow, and swung it as hard as he could with his left arm. Jay's shock was evident when he removed the pillow from him.

He took off his headphones after pressing pause, and looked at Nick incredulously, "What the hell?!" he shouted.

Nick shook his head, "Well for fuck's sake man, I thought you'd gone deaf. Anyway, I wanted to know why you're so fuckin' excited for this?...."

"Because....Several reasons. First, I just want to meet the new team. After watching them and seeing what they're capable of......It'll be nice to have a standard look to. And also....The quicker this happens, the quicker we go after Leif and Iskelle. I can't wait to put them in their places. And besides, I'm more than a little curious. Aren't you? These two left almost no trace of themselves....They just dropped off the face of the world, and now....Here they are. I want to know what they've been doing.....Why they vanished.....Don't you?" Jay finished excitedly.

Nick shook his head again, "No.....No, I can't say I do......Then again, I'm not insane......." Nick said sarcastically.

Jay scoffed, "Insane is quite dependent on what the standard of normal is. I hold no standards of 'normal,' therefore, insane has little meaning to me. And I suppose that's to be expected from someone with no sense of adventure." Jay said in as arrogant a tone as he could manage. Nick rolled his eyes while shaking his had once more. They sat in silence for nearly twenty more minutes before the girls returned.

"Took you long enough," Jay said as they came in.

"We can take all the time we want, you pompous asshole." Sasha retorted.

Jay came to his feet, "Not today, I'm afraid. Now let's go. We're already late." Jay said as he moved past them through the door. The rest of them followed slowly. As they walked through the hall, the whole team except for Jay dragged their feet. Jay didn't seem to care that they lagged behind, and kept walking at his own fast pace. They came to a door labeled 'Conference Hall.' Jay had already gone in. Nick opened the door and let the girls walk in before him. Inside was a large round table. Eight chairs surrounded the table, and four of them were already occupied, Jay was just sitting down in another, and the team sat down in the rest.

The other team had been sitting patiently. Nick recognized two of them....They were the kids he nearly crushed with a lamp post....They looked different now. It was clear they were twins, now. They both had the same light blue hair. Their battle gear also looked eerily similar, with design alterations to show gender difference. They sat next to each other, both turning in the chairs, this way and that in a perfectly matched rhythm, with kid-ish grins on their faces. Their suits were the same blue as their hair, with black as well. Next to them was a brunette girl, who's very long hair had a headband in it. She had a green short-sleeved shirt with a purple combat skirt. She had a neutral look on her face. Finally, sitting between the brunette and Jay was a taller man, who had spiky brown hair, and simple clothes on. He had a regular gray t-shirt, with blue jeans on. He had placed what looked like a medium sized backpack on the table. But it was completely metal. It looked like it could fold out.

Jay looked the pack over with his Semblance and smiled, "Impressive weapon...." he said to the guy.

He smiled at Jay, "Oh, thanks. I made this myself. Took forever. Totally worth it." he said enthusiastically.

Jay turned to his team "Guys, this is Team SCRT. This here," he put his hand on the guy's shoulder, "Is their team leader, Samuel."

"Most people just call me Sam," he added happily.

He turned to the girl next to him, "I'm Rachel..." she said simply.

The twins stopped moving in their chairs, "I'm Christopher, call me Chris."

"I'm Tia, that's all you can call me." they said in sequence. The team looked back and forth between themselves. After a few seconds, Jay shook his head and rolled his eyes.

He cleared his throat, "I'm Jay....That's all people've ever called me." he said, gesturing to his team.

Nick, who was sitting next to Jay, got the message, "I'm Nick....Me and Jay co-lead the team..." he said, taking the prompt.

"I'm Anna.....I'm just......Yeah, just Anna....." she said, doing her best to sound confident.

"I'm Sasha.....If you try to nickname me, I'll chop you into little pieces." she said. Jay groaned a little, putting his hand to his forehead. Nick just chuckled.

Sam didn't look affected by this threat, "Great! Now that we're introduced, let's get to it. We were called out of our dorm this morning by a school official, and were brought to this room. They told us we were to meet with another team about a joint mission? And that you guys were going to give us the info...." Sam gave all the info he had about this meeting rather quickly.

Jay looked at Anna, and began his half "Ok....This mission is going to be retrieval. We have recently come into information regarding two people who've been missing for several years. No one's had any word on them until now."

Jay stated, "If that's the case, then why did they only recently show their faces? And why to you guys?" Rachel asked.

Nick looked at Jay for a moment before Jay resumed, "I suspect they may have......" he said. The twins had leaned in, more interested now. As did the rest of Jay's team, not knowing what he meant.

Jay looked at them, "Sorry guys....I may not have mentioned something.....After finding out that they've been missing for a few years, I thought I'd get a hint, and go look through the records. As it turns out, several other students from their year have gone missing as well. None of them have been seen since....." Jay informed.

Oddly, the twins were the first to speak up, "So what about their team? Were they among the missing?" they said in unison.

All of team JNAS was shocked by this, but Jay shook it from his head and continued, "Yes, as it turns out, they were. However, their bodies were recovered three days after their disappearance......It looked like they'd been slaughtered by a hoard of Ursa."

"But Ursa don't travel in hoards...." Anna interjected.

"No they don't. Especially not Ursa Major. But that's what the report says.....It just doesn't look like it could've  **been** anything else.....They were the first to vanish after our two suspects though, and were the only two whose bodies were ever recovered." Jay responded.

"Our two suspects? After them? So the people we're going after the two who vanished in the first place? And this information, how did you come by it?" Sam jumped in as well.

"We encountered them in the forest. Their names are Iskelle Femmaren, and Leif Malladus. They were apparently betrothed before they vanished, two or so weeks before graduation. Their team vanished a day from graduation day...." Jay said with a slightly solemn voice. The twins looked at eachother for a moment.

"Do you suspect that Iskelle and Leif had something to do with these disappearances?" Nick asked Jay.

"Almost certainly. I'm even more convinced after seeing their demeanor." he responded.

"What do you mean by that? Their demeanor?" Rachel asked.

Anna answered for him, "He means that we met them.....They're capable killers, and very willing. They nearly got us, and I think he suspect they're responsible for the other disappearances. They told us they were going to use us for practice....." Anna said with an uncharacteristically forward and confident voice.

The twins looked at each other for a moment.

"So what kinda of gear or style do they use?" the two asked in perfect unison again. Sasha, who was sitting next to them, was really unnerved by this synchronicity. She wanted to scooch over a bit, or switch seats, anything to be a bit farther from them....But she really didn't want to seem scared or rude, so she just held her tongue.

Anna spoke up again, "You'll have to ask Jay or Nick about Leif, but I can tell you about Iskelle. She probably had training in dance or gymnastics when she was very young, because her movements are flowing and circular, and they compliment her Ice power well."

"Ice power?" Rachel interrupted.

"Yes. She has a vast aura, and she uses it with the Ice dust she carries on her person. It's not even all that much dust, but with her aura......It goes a very long way." Anna said, hoping to try and summarize Iskelle without having to begin a rant like she did for Ozpin. All of Team SCRT went silent, considering this information. No one in Team JNAS spoke up either.

"Alrighty then....And Leif?" Sam asked. Jay looked at Nick, who shrugged. Nick didn't really care who told them about Leif.

Jay cleared his throat, "Leif Malladus carries a large black cylinder....It's a metal I couldn't identify without my Sight."

"Without your what?" the twins asked in unison.

"Hm...Perhaps I misspoke. My Semblance....It's the ability to see clearly that which others cannot. I couldn't use it though."

"Why not?" Sam interrupted.

"Because of his weapon. Leif Malladus uses an array of poisons. They're stored in the cylinder along with what I can guess are several hundred throwing needles. All of different size and shape. Each have a different purpose. Each have a different poison. I only experienced two of his poisons. One that shut off our Semblances, which he released in the form of a toxic fog which leaked the poison through our skin. And a second, I was struck with a poisoned needle in my arm. It caused searing pains that spread throughout my whole body. It didn't shut down my nervous system though. Nick was hit with one of those. He has metal-piercing needles that shut down the nervous system. This is so that he can bring someone down regardless of armor. It only didn't shut Nick's whole body down because it hit his prosthetic, and wasn't able to spread. But the poison was able to shut down artificial motor neurons, so one can assume it's very potent. As for his style, he's very big and very fast. He knows his weapon  **very** well, and can throw needles at an astonishing rate. In this way he keeps you dodging, unable to move close. If he hits you, things are guaranteed to get worse for you. And he can also swing the cylinder like a club, and it's very powerful. He's also deceptively clever, using your own attacks against you. Oh, and lastly......Due to his Semblance, he's completely immune to his own poisons. So don't think to use his needles against him. It wouldn't work." Jay finished. Nick scoffed a little. 'It'll work....I'll **make** it work...' he thought. Team SCRT exchanged looks between eachother. After a minute of nodding and looking this way and that, Sam turned and addressed Nick and Jay.

"We're in...." he said with a smile.

Just then, the door crashed open. The motion made air sweep through the room, and everyone turned in surprise. In walked Mickey, leaving her cart in the hall. She wore a big smile on her face, and her usual casual wear. Nick looked at her, and remembered being tossed like a toy across a room, despite the slight amount of panic that pulled at him, he couldn't help but think that Mickey was awesome. In every way. The twins grabbed onto each other and fell back in their chairs at her entrance. Sam and Rachel looked unaffected. Anna wasn't sure what to think, because she didn't yet know why Mickey was here. Sasha's eyes widened in terror, and she ducked under the table, hoping Mickey hadn't seen her. Jay stood up and walked over to her.

"Hiya Mickey!!" he said as they both gave each other a hug that would break an Ursa's back. Jay staggered back a little, "Damn....I guess that makes you the winner this time....." he said, holding his sides as he sat back down.

Mickey let out a loud laugh, "That's right. You may be a hunter in training now, Jay, but don't think you can best me." she said with full confidence. Jay chuckled as he shook his head. Mickey walked out to her cart and opened the side door, taking out a few boxes. She walked back in with three boxes.

She lifted them and examined the names, "I've got two boxes here for....The Dragoon siblings?...."

The twins popped up from the floor, "That's us!!" again they spoke together. "Unprocessed and unmixed Fire dust crystals and Lightning dust crystals." she said as she tossed the boxes to them. Jay recognized the symbols on the side. Chris caught the lightning dust, and Tia caught the fire dust.

Mickey held up the last box, "And one Earth dust mixture dust crystal for.....Ms. Gaias?" Mickey read off the label.

"That would be me,"

Rachel spoke up, and everyone turned to her, "Ms. Gaias, eh?" Anna asked. She liked the sound of that name.

"Yes. That's my last name." Rachel said plainly, as she caught the box. But then, Mickey turned her attention to team JNAS. She walked over in between Nick and Jay and slammed her palms on the table. She looked back and forth menacingly between them.

"I heard you guys got in some trouble out in the Forever Fall......Can you guys go one week, just  **one**  without getting into some kind of trouble? Is that possible?" Nick and Jay glanced between eachother.

"I think we can manage a week......" Jay said. Mickey stood, crossing her arms.

"Good. If you do, I'll bring pizza, soda, and ice cream." Nick placed his hand on his chin in thought, 'Why'd he say that? There's no way we can manage a week...' he thought to himself.

Mickey went over and stood before Anna, "Keep em outta trouble......Particularly the redhead.....Sounds difficult, but I think you'll manage." Then she walked over to where Sasha had been sitting. Sasha had quickly come out from under the table and sat in her seat before Mickey's approach, and looked up at her, trying to stay confident, although she was screaming a little inside.

".......If every now and then you need to crush something to relieve stress.......Make sure not to break anything vital." Mickey said simply. With that, she turned, and walked out, closing the door. Everyone waited in silence as they heard the cart wheeling down the hall. Everyone turned back to the table.

"Who was that?...." Sam asked.

"Just a local dust shop worker...." Rachel said.

Jay frowned, "No, she's not. That's Mickey. She owns the shop. And she's one of the greatest people alive." Jay corrected. 

After Mickey's entrance and sudden exit, Sam suggested that they head to the large gym to get some sparring in, and get a feeling for eachother's skills. On the way there, Jay told him that he'd had his eye on Sam's team for a long while now, and had specifically requested them as partners.

"So you know our weapons and styles? Let's here it. You should explain it to your team so they have an idea of what they're sparring." Sam responded. Jay sighed and turned around, walking backward and facing his team.

"I'll start with Sam's weapon. That metal pack he's carrying on his back is basically an exo-skeleton. He wears a special pair of gauntlets and boots. The pack then folds out, forming a frame on his body. It covers his back and chest, and frames his arms and legs. The back is also armed with two very sharp and very long spikes that he can take off and duel wield as short swords. This skeleton gives him incredible movement capacity. He may be a melee specialist like you, Anna, but he's also just as capable as you....." he said while gesturing to Anna. Anna considered the implications of his words and turned a little red. Then Jay continued, "Rachel there uses a whip....This whip is made of a special elastic material. It can stretch for a grand total of twenty meters, and retract to a minuscule three meters. There's a small oval shaped bulb at the end of the whip. Stay clear of that. The material also lets dust flow freely through it. The earth crystal she has in the hilt of the handle lets dust flow through the whip, making it not only tough, but incredibly hard-hitting. If it hits your body, even with armor on, you're going to have bones broken."

"Sounds like quite a fighter...." Nick interrupted.

"Yes, well, she has a specific range at which she's best. A bit like the Goldilocks Zone around a sun. Too far, and she can't defend....To close, she can't attack. Use this to your advantage, and don't let her keep you at a distance." Jay finished his explanation of Rachel, and turned to look at her. She also turned back to see him, but immediately turned back to the hallway.

Sam cleared his throat, "She says that was a good explanation of her." Jay smiled and nodded, then turned back to his team.

"Then......There's the twins....." At the mention of them, the twins both turned and came back to stand on either side of Jay, and began walking backwards with him. "These two both duel wield police batons. Except better. They're very destructive. They can destroy an Ursa Major's skull with one swing, and without so much as a dent. They're two and a half feet in length, and each of them has small pores in them for the use of the element crystals they received a few minutes ago." Jay gestured to each of them in turn, starting with his right, "Christopher here uses Lightning crystals. The lightning flows over the length of the baton, and he can also throw bolts of electricity by swinging the baton and releasing some of the dust through the pores. Tia uses fire dust, with her batons becoming incredibly hot, or even catching fire. She, like her brother with his lightning, can throw small balls of fire dust by swinging the batons in the same fashion." The twins both beamed with pride at Jay's explanation.

They smiled huge childish grins and raised their hands to their chest in unison, "And as we speak as one, and fight as one, we see as one." they said in unison. Sasha looked away, slightly annoyed.

Jay continued, "Yes...That's not a joke. Their Semblance is Shared Vision. They can each look through the other's eyes. It's how they found eachother in the Forever Fall during initiation. They were the first team formed for this reason. This also gives them a huge power in battle. They can fight with such incredible synchronicity....It's quite frightening, really....." Jay muttered, looking at them from the corner of his eyes. The twins smiled and both held up piece signs. Then they turned and walked through the open door to the gym, which Sam and Rachel currently held open. Jay also turned around, thanking both Sam and Rachel for holding the door open as they passed. The gym was incredibly large. On the one wall, there was the control board that Jay knew would wire up with their scrolls and control the environment, allowing them to fight under many different conditions, with many different simulations. Sam and Rachel walked up to the group.

"Alright, I think we should coordinate some practice matches. Who would like to face who?...." Sam asked, gesturing to the group.

The twins clapped their hands together, "We're on a tag team!! Anyone who wants to face us has to have a partner." they said in unison.

Although this had begun to annoy Sasha more than she could bare, she still spoke up first, "I think Jay and Anna would make perfect opponents for you...." she said. She and Nick looked at eachother for a moment. Anna turned red, realizing what they were doing, but before she could speak up, Jay did, "Excellent idea. Anna's ability at close range is a valuable asset to fighting these two. And given their special sight ability, it would be quite fitting for me to face them as well. Good idea, Sasha." Jay spoke simply. Nick rolled his eyes, understanding why.....Jay was completely and utterly oblivious.....Anna turned to him and stuttered an agreement. "Alright, and you...."

Nick pointed at Sam and smiled a friendly smile, "You're my opponent."

Sam smiled back, "You got it. Let's see what you got..." he responded.

Rachel and Sasha looked at eachother, "I guess that means it's you and me....." Rachel said. Sasha simply nodded.

"Alright!! Let's get this party started!!" Sam said enthusiastically. 

* * *

 


End file.
